Lace-threading machine



' 192 May 7 H. LUNDQUIST LACE THREADING MACHINE inal Filed April 2:, 1921 5 Shets-Sheet 1 May 10 1927.

v 1-H. LUNDQUIST LACE THREADING' MACHINE;

3. Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed April 23, 1921 rmkm uh A R mw 1922228 [wagazbl 1,627,610 May 9 1-1; LUNDQUIST LACE THREAD ING MACHINE Original Filed April 23. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 InJerdi v SZ W Patented May 10, 1927.

UNITED STATES HANS LUNDQUIST, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,

ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES SPECIALTY CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS'.

LACE-THREADING MACHINE.

Application filed April 23, 1921, Serial No. 463,828. Renewed January 14, 1927.

This invention relates to improvements in lace threading machines which serve for inserting a tape through the mesh of lace- Work attached to a garment or not secured thereto.

It is an object of the invention to provide a machine of this character, in which the mechanism for lifting and lowering in alternation one of the two elements to be united, namely the lace and the tape, is controlled electrically.

It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide a machine of this character, in which through one of these elements, the conditions in the electric circuit are intermittently altered, to energize or deenergize in short intervals some electrical neans within the circuit and which means in its turn controls the member for moving out of said elements.

The invention also contemplates the provision of a mechanism through which the point of contact between current conducting parts, may be adjusted along one of said parts so as to render the entire mechanism adapted for threading the tape into different kinds of lace.

The invention also contemplates to provide means for facilitating the introduction of the tape or other part to be threaded between gripping shoes and to combine therefore these gripping shoes on a carrier, through. the movement of which both of these Shoes can be either removed from each other, or brought closer to each other.

The invention also aims at a yielding connection of the gripping shoes to maintain them permanently in a position in which the oscillating movement of one of the elements is assured.

lVith these and numerous other objects in view an embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in the following specification.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the entire machine.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is an end view.

Figure 4 is a sectional view and part elevation, the section being taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail view and part section of the gripping shoes with the contact making device.

Figure 6 .is a view of the same parts in a different position, and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the threading needle.

The entire device is mounted on a base plate 1, which also carries in the embodiment illustrated, a motor 2 connected by a transmission 3, with apositively driven feeding roller or disk 4. This feeding roller is mounted on a shaft 5 which is supported in a frame 6', pivotally carried by a bearing bracket 7. A standard 8 associated with the bearing bracket supports a stationary bar or shaft 9 on which a companion feeding roller 10 is loosely mounted, this companion wheel being in frictional contact with the positively driven'wheel 4, so as-to beactuated thereby. For the purpose of increasing the friction, one or both of these feeding members may be provided with a knurled or roughened surface. I

Another bracket 11 on the base plate supports by the clamp head 12,:the needle 13. This needle comprises a straight part 14 and a part which is bent into a loop 15, one end of which is located in a plane different from the straight part 14. This needle is provi ded practically over its entire length with a groove 17 shown here to have an upright longitudinal rib 18 which divides the groove 17 into two parts. The parts terminate in lateral enlargements 19, and the groove may be bridged near its end by a clip 20 beneath which tapes or threads located in this groove may be drawn through. A detachable point 21 which is straight and slightly rounded in front, is secured to the needle and projects forwardly.

A pair of gripping shoes 22 and 23 are disposed directly in front of the needle point 21, these shoes being preferably semispherical in shape and having on that part which is directed towards the point 21 of the needle, vertical grooves 24'into which the point enters. These shoes therefore may be moved vertically with respect to the needle point 21 and are guided in this vertical movement by the groove 24. Each of the gripping shoes is secured to a yoke or holder 28, and each yoke is associated with one of two pinions 33 and 34, which are in engagement with each other. Upon rotation of one of these yokes to operative or inoperative position (the latter being indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3) the other one is therefore til) also moved to the same position. These screw 58. The screw 58 is enlarged at its yokes are connected by springs or resilient yielding tension members which are secured to horizontal parts of the yoke, and which have a tendency to move the two yokes either completely to operative position as shown in full lines in Fig. 3 or completely to inoperative position, but-which will prevent the maintenance of either of these yokes between the two terminal positions.

A lever 32 which supports the gripping shoes is pivoted in a standard 36 by the trunnion screws 37. A short arm of this lever which projects beyond the fulcrum has a recess in which a compression spring 88 is located. The upper end of this spring is secured to a screw 39 which extends through a tapped lug of the standard 36 and which may be held in adjusted position by a lock nut. This spring therefore, has a tendency to move the short arm of the lever permanently downwardly, as shown in Fig. 3 to maintain the gripping shoes in their raised position, as indicated in Fig. 5. Another standard 40 which also rises from the base plate 1 has an offset top portion, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, the lower horizontal part- 41 of this top receiving a set screw 43 through which the downward movement of the holding lever 32 may be adjustably lim ited, and a similar set screw 4A extends through the upper horizontal portion 42 of this head to limit the swinging movement in upward direction. The front portion of the lever comprises two parallel walls between which the gear segments or pinions 33 and 34 are rotatably mounted.

Lateral arms 45 projecting from the lever 32 form the armature of an electromagnet 46 which is secured to the base plate 1. Upon energization of the electron'iagnet the armature i5 is attracted and the lever 32 will be lowered. l/Vhen the electromagnet is deenergized however, the forward end thereof will again be forced upwardly owing to the spring 38 at the rear end of the lever.

The bearing frame 6 for the shaft 5 serves for pivotally supporting a yoke l8, Figs. 2 and t, by means of a screw 49 insulated from the frame 6 by bushings 50 of ins'ulating material. The lateral arms of the yoke 48 support parallel fixed rods 51 on which a slide 52 is guided. A screw spindle 53 is rotatably supported between the lateral arms of the yok d8 and is held against longitudinal displacement by a collar 54: pinned to the spindle and by the head 55. This spindle extends through a tapped opening of the slide 52, whereby upon rotation of the spindle, a displacement of the slide 52 longitudinally of the yoke may be effected.

An arm 56 projects forwardly from the slide 52, and terminates in a boss 57, with a vertical bore to receive loosely a spindle or lower end as shown at 59 in Fig. 5 and this portion is slidable within the extension 60 of the boss 57. It is held against rotation within the boss by a pin 61 which projects into a slot of the extension 6-0, which at the same time serves as a stop to limit the upward movement of the screw 58. Down ward movement of the screw 58 within the boss 57 is prevented by a nut 62 which serves for holding the sleeve 59, screw 58 and hearing 57 in a predetermined relation.

A contact shoe (a is pivotally secured to the projecting end of spindle 58 and has a contact plate 65 which is permanently and yieldingly drawn into engagement with the surface of the needle by a spring 66 secured to an arm of the shoe 6% and anchored at its other end in a lug projecting from the sleeve 59.

The yoke 48 carries on its back a binding post 67 to which the wire 70 is secured. Another conductor 71 is shown to be connected with the winding of the electromagnet {526, and the outleading wire 72 is grounded.

The two wires 70 and 71 are connected with opposite poles of a battery or other source of current not shown, and it is obvious therefore, that a circuit will be established from the battery (not shown) through the wire 70, the yoke 48, shoe 66 needle 13, bracket 11, which is also grounded, wire 72, electromagnet 16 and through the wire 71 back to the battery, provided the contact plate 65 is in engagement with a conductive part of the needle. This current, however, is interrupted when the shoe 64 is lifted from the needle.

The operation of the device briefly stated, is as follows: One or more tapes 80 are placed into the groove 17, and formed into loop shape, as defined by the needle. The free end of the tapes may be pulled outwardly sideways through the terminal enlargements 19. The lace through which this tape is to be threaded is indicated at 81, Fig. 5. The end of the lace is placed between the feed rollers l and 10 so as to be gripped thereby, and that part of the lace vhich is located in front of the needle point- 21, is held by the gripping shoes 22 and 23, which are movable in vertical direction.

VVhen the motor is started the feeding wheels will advance the lace, and strands of the lacewill intermittently be pulled through between the shoe 6% and the needle. In these intervals, as indicated in Fig. 6, the shoe rests on the insulating material of the lace, and the circuit to the electromagnet i6 is interrupted to release the armature 15. The spring 38 will immediately force the front end of the carrier 32 for the gripping shoes upwardly, whereby a strand 83,, Fig; 5, will be raised above the plane of the nee dle, and will be placed in this position on the needle. In the continued advance of the lace, strand 82 which before separated the shoe Gt "from the needle shank, will have been movedbeyond the point of contact with the shoe and a circuit againwill be closed through the ground connection,- and the electromagnet. The elect-romagnet will attract its armature l5, lowering the lever 32 and bringing thereby the gripping shoes 22 and 23 below the front point of the needle. I'he strand 84- passing between the gripping shoes towards the needle, will then be placed below the lower surface of this needle.

The effect of this oscillation of the gripping shoes therefore is to bring alternate strands above and below the needle point 21, while the lace is advanced over the entire needle. The tape associated with the needle, is thereby threaded through the lace, so as to alternately overlie the dilterent strands by which the mesh of the lace is formed.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus of the class described,

- the combination of a needle lace feeding means, and means for arranging different strands of lace in different relation with respect to a thread or tape over which the lace is fed, said arranging means being temporarily separated from the needle by strands of lace/advancing over said needle and means laterally of the needle and normally .in contact therewith for causing operation oi said strand arranging means.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a threading needle, av gripping device for lace, means for feeding the lace to the needle, an electromagnet and means actuated by the electromagnet for rapidly oscillating said gripping device.

3. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination of the threading needle, means for placing the lace progressively on the needle, a gripping device for the lace. and electrically controlled means for oscillating said gripping device at a speed dependent upon the length of the mesh of the lace.

t. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a threading needle. means for progressively feeding lace on the needle, a gripping device for the lace located in front of the needle and electricallv controlled means for oscillating said gripping device in front of the point of the needle in a predetermined plane, said gripping device being provided with a guiding groove into which the point of the needle enters. andwherebv the plane of oscillation of the gripping device is defined.

In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of the threading needle. means for progressively feeding lace to the needle, an electromagnet and means controlled by the electromagnet for alternately raising and lowering lace portions, which advance in direction towards the needle above and below the plane of-the needle, said last named means being provided with portions which prevent a lateral deflection of the same, with respect to the point'of the needle.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a needle, a lace feeding means, a pair of cooperating gripping shoes, a'n electromagnet', means under control of said electromagnet for moving said gripping shoes alternately above and below the point of the needle, and a common carrier for said gripping shoes, said common carrier being the armature of said electromagnet.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a needle, means for feeding lace to the needle, a pair of grip ping shoes located in front of the point of the needle, an electron'iagnet, means under control of said electromagnet for simultaneously oscillating both of said gripping shoes with respect to said needle point, and means for moving both of said shoes simultaneously to gripping position upon movement of one of the shoes to said position.

8. In an apparatus of the character described. the combination of a pair of gripping shoes t'or the lace, a common carrier for said gripping shoes, separate supports for said shoes mounted on said carrier, and means associatedwith said supports for producing upon movement" of either of said shoes to operative and inoperative position, a similar movement of the other shoe.

9. In an apparatus of the character de scribed, the combination with a pair of gripping shoes, a common carrier for the same, an electromagnet, said common carrier being the armature of said electromagnet and adapted to move both of said gripping shoes simultaneously in the same direction, supports between said gripping shoes and said common carrier, and means associated with said supports for preventing the stoppage of either of said shoes at any position different from the operative or completely inoperative position.

10. In an apparatus of the character de scribed the combination of a needle, lace feeding means, an electromagnet, an armature, gripping shoes associated with said armature and means under control of the lace 12. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a needle, lace feeding means, lace gripping shoes movablv mounted in ttront of saidvneedle, electrical means for forcing said gripping shoes in one position with respect to said needle and mechanically controlled means for forcing the gripping shoes into another position with respect to said needle.

153. in an apparatus of the character described, the combination of lace feeding means, a needle, lace gripping shoes, electrical and mechanical means for controlling the posi ion of said gripping shoes with respect to said needle, said mechanical means becoming operative upon deenergization of said electrical means. a

14:. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination ot a lace feeding means, a needle, means for placing portions of said lace alternately above and below said needle without interrupting the advance movement of the lace, said second means being electrically controlled, a contact shoe adapted to engage the needle and to be moved from engagement with said needle through the lace traveling on said needle, and electrical connections between said contact shoe and the means for raising and lowering the lace with respect to said needle.

15. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a needle, lace feedingmeans, electrically controlled means for placing alternate portions of the lace above and below the needle, a contact shoe in engagement with the needle, and forming seamen) part of the electrical connections for said.

controlling means, and means for adjusting said contact shoe longitudinally of the needle.

in. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a needle, electrically controlled means for placing different portions of the lace alternately above and below said needle, a contact shoe engaging said needle and forming a part of the electrical. connections to the electrical controlling means, and means for yieldingly urging said contact shoe into engagement with said needle.

17. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a needle, lace feeding means, lace gripping shoes, electrically controlled means for movino said gripping shoes alternately above and below the level of said needle, and forming a part 01? the electrical connection to the elements which control the gripping shoes, and means for adjusting the force by which said shoe is pressed against said. needle.

18. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of lace feeding means including gripping shoes, a lace needle, electrii'rally controlled means for oscillating the gripping shoes in front of the lace needle, and mechanical means for selectively limiting the end points of the movement of the gripping shoes.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature at 36 Randolph St, Chicago, Illinois.

HANS LUNDQUIST. 

